Fable: Wrath Closed
by mark twenty
Summary: Anger, wrath, greed, hate they all lead to power beyond imagination. Should you pursue this path, or should you control your feelings? Closed. Revisited Story Coming up
1. Ch1 The Hall of Heroes

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter One: The Hall of Heroes

Akuji lived about four miles from the world famed Arena but still, he had only visited the Arena once, four and a half years ago; the only time his father had agreed to take him. Most people that went to the Arena came from the mainland. Tourists came from every corner of Albion; most of them were from the big cities such as Bowerstone, Oakvale, and Kingswood, but there was a strong attendance from smaller towns like Hook Coast, Lynchfield and Fische Coast. Yet, some times, like when Akuji had gone to the Arena, people from other lands came on boat to watch and fight at the Arena.

Some years, especially every five years when the competitions lasted for a whole month, people would come from far away lands. Some of them were slender and tall and beautiful, with blue eyes and blonde silky hair. They called themselves Elves and mastered English very easily; however, their language was beautiful and complex, and one no one other than an Elf could speak it. Their ears were long and pointed and their voices smooth and beautiful.

The Elves came in majestic ships, made of beautiful wood and expertly crafted with impressive décor. Their craftsmanship of wood made even the Xahons look inexperienced.

Elves came mainly too fight, and their warriors fought gracefully in the Arena; excelling with their incredible marksmanship and lighting quick bodies. Elves also brought a lot of gold to Albion and they loved gambling and many other games that involved gold; so every five years, Knothole Glade filled itself with tourists and temporary casinos.

Others looked a lot like the people of Albion, but they were about a foot shorter than most people in Albion. They were called Dwarves, and came mostly to trade with the locals, and sell their excellent smith crafts. Some of the most famous blades of history, like the Sword of Aeons were crafted by Dwarves. None match the Dwarves in the areas of building out of stone and iron and precious metals. The very few men who have gone to their cities and gazed upon their wonderful architecture find it hard to express with words its beauty.

Knothole Glade was full of tourists who came to visit the Arena. Once every six months the town's inn would get overbooked for the regular competitions which where held every two years. The inn consisted of four large buildings that could house about a twelve hundred people. The Arena had its own inn and pubs but people liked the idea of sleeping inside wooden houses and staying at Knothole Glade was a lot cheaper than at the Arena. When the Elves came for the Arena's extensive competitions held every five years, they booked every single room in Knothole, some even stayed at the houses of Knothole's residents. Four and a half years ago an Elf had stayed at Akuji's house, he participated at the games and won first place overall. Akuji's father only took him that once because the Elf had convinced him that Akuji should go and see him fight.

The trip left Akuji wanting to go again, but his father refused. Yet, the Elf that came to his house inspired Akuji to train himself so that one day, he might battle in the Arena.

Every six months for the duration of the competitions, Knothole Glade was packed with visitors and the economy boomed. During those times the village also got crowded by eager traders who came from all over the world to trade between themselves and to sell goods the tourists. They would set up their own camp in a small area dubbed accordingly Trader's Plaza and it would become a large trading market. After the tourists and traders had cleared the area the extra money was always spent on enlarging the forest village that was well on its way into becoming a major city.

Years before Akuji was born the village had only five buildings of different sizes enclosed in a tight wooden barrier. The two smaller buildings were sleeping quarters with a room for each family. Another building was a storage facility, and after that were the blacksmith and the mayor's house. People who lived there mainly worked for the Arena or cultivated in a small plantation to keep the settlement alive. Knothole's only goal back then was to survive and to provide weaponry and other supplies for the Arena.

The town quickly grew and it expanded backwards with a serpentine main road with branches, each named after one of the original twelve families of Knothole Glade. By the time Akuji was born everyone who lived in town had their own house and job; the town was thriving and expanding its economy into other areas like fur, lumber, and coal trading. There were three main plazas, aside from Trader's Plaza, the original one, another one where the village branched out in two and one final one at the end of the main road. The last one led to a dead end about 100 yards after the last branching road. It went up and ended in a cliff. The hill stood way over the trees surrounding the village and provided a good panoramic view of the Arena to the north and on the eastern horizon, past the sea, the lands of Albion. The sunrise and sunsets from there were beautiful; having all of Albion around you, the trees, the far away lands, the mountains, the sea, nothing matched its beauty.

A new pebbled road had been added from the income received six months ago and the town fortifications were slowly being changed to a stone wall. In another six months, when the Arena hosted it's month long competition and Elves came, the gold from the competitions would be enough to finish the fortifications and pebble roads.

That was only if the Arena continued to be successful. Akuji had overheard his father talking with the mayor and other adults about it. They all had agreed that Mr. Tranter, the town mayor, should talk to Arena officials about making different competitions, longer rounds and adding twists to the Arena to keep it fresh. It was because the town's mayor economic growth in the last thirty years had been caused by intelligently using the Arena seasons to bring profits to the village and a struggling Arena would stop the growth of Knothole Glade. Mr. Tranter had already negotiated with Arena officials and rumors of a 'special' round had spread around.

Adults worried about those things, kids were kids. Akuji never though about those kind of things before, but now he was almost a grown man; and even if he didn't agree with his father, he had already been trained by his father to take over the family business; which depended heavily from the Arena, as they were considered the best smith crafter's in town.

* * *

The day was just beginning for Akuji as he woke up late in the afternoon, he had stayed late last night, and usually found himself waking up at four in the afternoon or later, more so when he went to bed after the sunrise. During the summer, when the sunsets and sunrises where shaded with tones of pink and purple, sometimes Akuji would go to sleep after the sunrise and wake up in time for the sunset and the stars.

As he got up from bed Akuji noticed a small hand written note on his bedside table. It was set in place by small stack of gold coins. Akuji read it and had no choice but to follow his mother's orders to go and buy supplies.

Before doing his daily chores Akuji walked over in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. Mirrors where very rare in Albion, expensive and hard to get.

None of his features were sharp; he wasn't chubby, Akuji had just enough fat on him to make his chin curve smoothly. His belly had gone away in the last months when Akuji finally started training himself seriously. He had started by getting into shape, and growing muscles. Where there was once a soft abdomen, his crunches and exercises where starting to take effect. From push-ups and pull ups his upper body had began to take shape too; and his lower body had not fallen behind, either.

Akuji stepped closer to the mirror. He had not shaved yesterday, and a strong shadow had grown; with his dagger Akuji trimmed it down before leaving his house. Pimples where rarely a problem with Akuji, but in the past week there had appeared quite a few all around his face. His hair was nice and messy, and his eyes looked rested and energetic. Thinking about Amissa, Akuji smiled a bit in front of the mirror.

* * *

Akuji walked up the main road to buy a few supplies from the last remaining traders that had been around for the competitions. He knew his friends would be there soon, but he thought he could count on some time before feeling jealous and sad inside, but he would have to make best of the few second before his friends would spot him and rush his mind with tales of glory and battle. He spotted Amissa long before she would spot him and had a long time to gaze at her beauty. Her silk-like light brown hair always waved when she walked and with those dark blue eyes and soft acne free skin, her hips and her perfectly sized ears and nose and her gorgeous shiny lips…

She noticed him and he quickly looked away at Coy who walked besides her, trying to pretend he hadn't been drooling at the sight of her. As his friends approached that became easier and easier to do because he was getting all sad inside. He had avoided them for the past week, but they probably understood why perfectly. Amissa hugged him tightly when she got close to him and tried to cheer him up. "I'm sorry your father didn't let you go, Kuji. But I brought you this." She stepped back and browsed her red leather bag for Akuji's gift.

Meanwhile, Coy had started to talk about how amazing the competition had been. "You should have seen it! It was wild, I missed the first day, but the real competition began on the second. Twister was unstoppable, but you should've…" Amissa punched Coy in the back, hard, and he stopped talking.

She gave him an angry look and turned to give Kuji his present. It was a six inch Twister figurine, she had remembered after all; even though he didn't ask her directly, not that he gave her an indirect request either. "And you know what's better? This statue is going to be worth a lot in the future."

"What do you mean?" He was puzzled, surely it would be worth something; Twister was a legend of the Arena. It was no surprise to him that the figurine would be worth a lot. Twister had been the only one to be able to fight alongside the Elves four years ago without looking pathetic.

Coy began talking excitedly again and told Kuji about Twister's fate. Akuji hadn't seen his friends much through the course of the games, so Coy gave him a brief summary of the events too. "He was the leader coming into the third day; Kraken beat him the second day but he was still leader. The third day was nice and tight, Kraken and Twister dominating with Quake behind. But on the fourth day they let out a surprise round, White Balverines! The crowed went wild with the announcements. They had one for each of the top five contestants. Kraken got injured fighting them, and missed the rest of the day; he came back the last day but didn't quite recover. Diamond was the best with his knife throwing, and the upset, Quake, stepped up and obliterated the competition from there on. Twister however got killed by the balverine. It was crazy. I mean, no one expected it. It just proved how dangerous the Arena really is."

"Well, it was actually disgusting. He was literally unrecognizable, just a pair of small bones and blood when the balverine was done with him. I don't see why people like to see that."

"Ouch." They all knew how much he would have wanted to see it, disgusting as it was. Coy then realized that all he wanted to do was talk about the Arena, but he couldn't actually talk about it to Akuji, so he said goodbye and went to talk with other friends. And he had forgotten to buy Kuji the figurine and he felt ashamed; all the more reason to do something else.

"Guess we won't be seeing him for the day…" Kuji lightly agreed and wished, once again, he could have gone to the Arena.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, really. I'm used to it."

"Well, they aren't making any more Twister figurines next year, so it's a collector's item now."

He was really happy. Akuji had asked Coy to get him the figurine, but he wouldn't remember. He always got way too exited about the games. But he was happy that Amissa remembered. "It's great, I guess. Thank you."

Amissa, with her soft angel eyes just looked back at him. Her eyes and her smile saying the words for her.

They stood quietly for a couple of seconds before Amissa brought up the idea of having something to drink at the Balverine Cavern Pub. Amissa's father was the owner and they could get free drinks and sometimes Amy, one of the waitresses and Missa's older sister, would give them alcoholic drinks. Akuji had only gotten drunk about three times, and each one he had ended up sleeping on a small mattress in Amissa's attic.

They gave Amy their order and sat down in a corner of the room. With the pub empty, its usual state during the day while the competitions where taking place, their drinks and food were served really fast. A pair of lemonades and a bowl of rosemary potatoes zigzagged across the room between tables on the hands of a very able waitress.

As they ate Amissa brought up the trip they had been planning weeks before the Arena games and had been postponed. "You know, Kuji we still have to make that trip to the Xahon villages. It's on the other side of the island, but with the Cullis Gates it should be a breeze."

"It sounds like a good idea, maybe we should go this Friday and comeback Saturday…"

"What about your parents, will they let you go?"

"Your parents are against the idea too, Missa." Coy's parents would kill him if he went so he wasn't going, Dru was against the idea too, and Farrell was scared balverines would attack them.

"It's only you and me, no one else wants to go." She drank the last sip of her glass and put it down on the table.

"That's ok." Enjoying each others company, the both finished their food. Suddenly, he was feeling all rebellious and angry against the world inside. He never felt so decisive inside and he really meant what he spoke next. "I'm going to the Arena today. The Hall of Heroes will still be open."

"Come on Kuji, let's go home, you'll get grounded and we won't be able to go to the Xahon tree villages. Please don't go." She knew Akuji would do anything to go, but he had never seen him do anything this rash, he was usually a calm person and gave much thought to his actions. She had to change his mind; she wanted him to go with her to the Xahon villages after all. His father wouldn't ground him for life if he went to the Xahon villages, the Arena was another story. She didn't understand why Rohm didn't let his children go to the Arena. But then again, she didn't think Akuji knew. It was probably what Rohm thought best for his only child. Sometimes Amissa wondered why Rohm felt that separating Akuji from the Arena would make him loose interest in it.

She had taken his hand and got up with him. He couldn't say no to that, but he couldn't deny his other impulses either, he really wanted to see the Hall of Heroes.

"But I really want to see it, Missa." Akuji tried not to sound melodramatic, but he wasn't quite sure he managed it. What he said was true, though. He had only been when he was a kid and didn't remember everything.

Missa walked over to him and stood right next to him with a cute innocent expression. "Some other time, I promise I'll go with you. But some other time. Please. I'll go with you in six months, for your birthday it you want."

He gave up, he couldn't resist her cute face when she wanted something, and he would be lying to himself if he thought he could do something Amissa had asked him so kindly not to. And besides, he had to buy the supplies his mother had told him to buy and the traders would be leaving town any minute.

"Ok, I won't go. I have to buy a few things from the traders anyway. I'll see if I can stop by after sunset, ok?"

"There's still a while until the sunset. Maybe we can watch it together?"

"Yes. Wait for me up on the hill… Bye." He walked down the aisle and out into the streets. He walked to the Main Plaza hoping to find merchants to trade with. Most merchants by now would probably have already packed since the real trading action happened during the first days of the competition and by it's end most people had already bought whatever it was they wanted to buy; only a few of them remained for a few days after the competitions.

Akuji walked over to a merchant and pulled out the piece of paper where his mother had written what he needed to buy. The merchant had most of the things on the list at a good price, so Akuji went over to another trader, who had the rest of the items.

* * *

By the time he was walking towards the hill where Amissa was waiting for him the sun was still high in the sky; but the towering mountains behind Bowerstone made the day an hour shorter than it should. Everyone had lived seeing the sunset behind the mountains, so no one in Albion had really experienced a full day.

Amissa had been waiting for him, sitting on a wooden bench; she motioned him over when she heard his footsteps. "Hi. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It always is." After a short comfortable silence, Akuji added, "Just like you." Amissa blushed lightly and reclined herself against Akuji, who placed his arms around her as the sun began setting behind the mountains in the horizon, and the sky danced in bright shades of red. Birds flew high above, doves and eagles and hawks, flying in the dying rays of the sun.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_I hope you liked the changes made to the story. With the new additions Albion might not feel that much like the Albion in the game, but I don't think that is bad in any way. I know and understand that it might have been a tiresome thing for some to read through this chapter and the following ones, as you might have already read them. I thank you all for your patience and your time, and ask you, if you would be so kind, to review my story to the best of your ability. _

_If you didn't like the changes made to the story, then please inform me; yet do it in a constructive way, it serves me no purpose to read review that just say, "This sucks. It was better the other way around." I would just like to know why you might think that way, if it is not too much to ask. I know that some of you might like it better, and other won't; either way, please review constructively._


	2. Ch2 A Xahon Heart

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter Two: A Xahon Heart

Dru was playing with his long light brown hair, just as he always did when he was bored. He watched at their teacher and tried as hard a he could to listen and be interested, but it just didn't work out for him. He always studied the morning of their exams; Missa and Kuji had to explain it to him every time. He always passed Mr. Hartford's exams with a Regular or an Acceptable grade. Rarely getting a Good or Excellent at school; he just seemed not to be made for it, and would rather had spent his days working with his father.

Mr. Hartford announced the end of class and his twenty one students got up and waited for his last words. "Well. Monday we have the final test of World History Level 1. The rest of the week we'll review for the Math Level 2 test on Friday." Hartford turned around and began erasing the chalk board.

Jules, a small stuck-up-know-it-all-selfless-arrogant-brat who would never ever lend Dru, or anyone for that matter, homework to copy of or helped him study asked Mr. Hartford about the Lit and Grammar test grades. "I'll have them ready tomorrow, Jules. I must say the whole class has done rather amazingly, and some," Hartford looked at Dru, "have given above expectations performance."

Dru met up with Farrell outside the class, they were both the first out of the room almost always and the first to criticize the day's class. "That douche bag is always bragging his grades and Mr. Fartford always pets him and does what he wants."

"I hate that boy. Come on, we would have skipped World History Level 1," then he mockingly quoted the History book's summary, "The history of Albion and its towns. Learn all about how Albion's cities have grown and developed their own economy and strengths. Learn about the people of Albion and the growth and expansion of civilization."

"Yes. That idiot. We would have gone straight to History 2 and read about the wars of Albion. About Jack of Blades and the Sword of Aeons, Twinblade and the Bandit Wars, Lady Grey and her dark history, the Heroes' Guild, the Hobbes. It's the only course I've ever wanted to take." What kid in their right mind would pass a chance to study their heroes, and the evil men of history? "Why can't he be like Mika?"

"Dunno. Hey, you wanna do the obstacle course? We still haven't tried the new additions Mr. Klyne built last week."

"Sure, let me warm up a bit first."

While talking they had walked over to the playgrounds and sat besides the start line of the obstacle course. Dru began his warm up; Farrell sat on the ground for a while and then joined in. Their conversation again focused on cursing Jules.

Amissa had caught up with them and lightly snapped at them for their conversation. "Oh, come on. Give the poor boy some slack; he wants to study in Bowerstone."

"Yes, but he doesn't have to be so arrogant, you know. Mika's going to Bowerstone too, and he doesn't show off half as much!" Farrell had a point, Jules was arrogant and a couch potato.

"Well, I'm not going to argue against that." The three of them remained silent for a while before Missa spoke up. "I have to go, see you guys later," she said with emphasis on the word guys before leaving.

"Where are you going? Oh…" Dru quickly remembered where she would be going for the week end.

"Someone is going to visit the Xahon villages with another special someone while their friends stay home." She said before turning around and really leaving that time.

"Oh well. I hope Akuji accepts your proposal! And have good trip!" Amissa only raised her hand to show them she heard, because they would tease her more every time she gave them the time to speak. She knew that they would just as soon grow bored and begin running the obstacle course. Dru and Farrell were the best at it, with Akuji behind, and never seemed to get bored of it.

* * *

Amissa walked at her own pace up the gravel road to Hartford Road, where her house was. It was a small, but very stylish and cozy house. There was a kitchen, a bathroom and two rooms. She shared her room with her older sister, who managed their father's pub while their father helped uncle Rohm with his blacksmith job; Amissa's step sister's mother had died, she was Rohm's sister, so Amissa called Rohm uncle just like her sister. Other times Amissa's father was away making deals for musicians, actors, bards, and other entertainers to work at the pub during the games and other important dates.

When she turned around the corner she spotted Dru and Farrell running around the track. They wouldn't really miss them, Coy and those two would have a great time as they always did on weekends. Lyanna would miss her though, she wouldn't want to spend that much time with three boys, and would rather be with Missa than her other friends. But Amissa didn't care much, she was going with the boy she liked after all, and they were going alone. Not that Amissa was not close to Lyanna, they were best friends; it just happened that Amissa had made her decision.

Before entering her house to pick up her bag, she looked up at the sun and figured they would make it to the Xahon villages just by nightfall. She had spoken to Kuji right after class and while she talked to Dru and Farrell he was picking up his bag and a sword he had sharpened himself at his father's workshop.

After picking up her bag and lying to her mom, she wasn't spending the night at Lux Jameson's house after all, Amissa walked to the Main Plaza to wait for Akuji.

When she got there, he was already there and anxiously waiting. He was quick to tell her that they should leave before anyone saw them getting into the Cullis Gate.

The Cullis Gate was a breeze, during a school trip Mrs. Lee, their old teacher, had taught them how to use Cullis Gates. They just needed to say a small and catchy incantation and think hard of their destination. So they stepped in, spoke out loud the catchy rime and in a split second they were on the other side of the island, almost eight miles away from home.

Missa hurried forward to the forest path and pointed anxiously in the direction of the Xahon villages. "Come on, let's go. I heard there's a small clearing where you can see the sunset, just like in Knothole. Let's get there before nightfall!"

"I'd rather we get to the villages first Missa. It's not safe at night, that why the villages are up in the trees you know." He wanted to see the sunset, alone with Amissa; he knew that was his chance, but he didn't want to be caught alone in the dark in these woods. He knew he was scared and he thought it was wise to be scared of the night in the woods; wiser than acting all brave and careless at least.

"Oh! Let's decide when we get there. Please." They were deep in conversation all the way to the clearing. The forest path was beautiful; the trees were amazingly tall and large, some reaching around ten to twenty feet in diameter. There were flowers and birds everywhere, giving life and splendor to the forest.

But the sunset was even better. The clearing was like a small picnic area with several benches and tables, a statue of a man pointing at the way they came from with a sword, and a great view of the vast oceans. They got there after a twenty minute walk and looking at the sky Akuji watched the sun just beginning to set through the trees.

"Well, I think the villages are not that far off. We can watch the sunset if you want."

That was very romantic of Kuji and Missa wasted no time in leading them to a bench where they would get the best view of the sunset. "This is beautiful." Akuji agreed, he wasn't looking at it, he was actually turned, facing her, and his eyes inspected every inch of her body; her smooth skin, gracious hair, faultless breasts, her lovely blue eyes. There was not much to see of the sunset through the trees either, so he entertained himself by losing himself in her presence.

Amissa was beautiful to him in every aspect, skinny, but just perfect; thin but without looking fragile or bony. Her eyes where of the deepest tone of blue he had ever seen, and under the right light they turned slightly purplish. As she was gazing at the sunset, Akuji marveled at her outline for the time being.

* * *

Amissa turned her head around came face to face with amorous green eyes and a loving gaze. She closed her eyes and inched forward, hoping he would do the same. Eternity passed and came back before her lips touched his; when she felt their fervent touch she, only slightly, stopped before kissing him back, just as passionately as him.

Akuji and Amissa kissed under the light of a dying sun, surrounded by all shades of red and orange, in the beautiful spectacle of a dying day. Sitting on a weathered, musky wooden bench decorated with once beautiful carvings of roses, birds and butterflies. They kissed, witness by the retreating tide, the dimming forest, the quiet birds, the rising moon.

The kiss was great; they had been locking lips during the entire setting of the sun. A sudden beastly roar startled her. She hastily got up and looked around nervously. She was scared by the surrounding darkness and the way it cloaked the imminent danger. The rustle of leaves in the wind, the swaying of the trees; they all made her heart start beating faster every second.

Mid kiss a wondering wolf had spotted them and growled from the shadows of the trees and bushes. Akuji was quick to get up on the bench and look for wolves, trying to locate the source of the sound. Amissa was behind him, uneasily looking around.

"What was that, Kuji?" Her voice was full of fear and uneasiness. She was scared to death, and Akuji felt her heart pounding mad against his back.

"It's a wolf, probably one." He looked vividly around but couldn't spot it. "Do you see anything?" He was unsure, uneasy; there were probably more than one.

"Yes, just right of the statue. Something just moved." Amissa's heart sparked and Akuji felt as if he could hear her heart.

She was right; Akuji saw the wolf easily after that. "I see it. Look around; there may be more of them." She vaguely answered and did as she was told. Akuji held his sword tightly and stood ready waiting for it to move closer. The wolf walked imposingly around the clearing, inching closer and closer. Almost daring him to attack, mocking him. He couldn't stray far from Amissa, so he waited until the wolf was just out of reach. Neither of the opponents could strike at their enemy without ending up vulnerable. The foolish beast jumped at his human prey and fell just short of tacking him down. Instead, the predator fell prey to steel, which left a fatal wound on its back. Blood emanated from it, and lightly sprayed Akuji.

"Kuji! Two more!.. Let's run, we can't beat them!"

She was right, maybe, but Missa was also wrong. "I have a better chance of slaying them that we have of outrunning them! Keep your eyes peeled for more." Akuji dashed forward at his new found victims and watched them carefully walk closer and closer to him. They were twelve feet away when Missa screamed. Another wolf was charging at her, he turned and ran head on against the upcoming wolf, his sword and knife both held ready to strike. When he got close enough, Akuji swung his silver blade at the beast in a fluid jumping motion. The blade, held tightly in his right arm struck its target, and his knife, held by his left hand, stabbed the wolf's hide as they tumbled and fell to the ground. Almost hugging the wolf, who had tried effectively to sink its claws on Akuji, Akuji rolled a few feet with it. As soon as he stopped, he oriented himself and got up, drenched in blood and cut in a few places from the wolf's claws, but ready to battle. The wolf lay, dripping its blood out through multiple knife wounds; destined to never get up again.

The remaining wolves had focused their attention on Missa and were threatening to attack her. Amissa nervously back walked into a low bench and fell on her back. Her head hit the ground and she lost consciousness. Seeing her lying defenseless only made Akuji's determination grow.

Both wolves would make it to Missa before he could reach them. He thought, fast. He screamed on the top of his lungs, hoping to catch their attention, and rushed at the wolves, a great sense of urgency and desperation rant through him. With the wolves a dozen feet away he threw his knife at one of them. It flew with precision and hit the side of the wolf with incredible might, the wolf staggered and turned to face Akuji. The knife however, didn't hit blade first into the wolf's skin, it just bounced off and Akuji lost sight of it.

Determined to defend Amissa, the girl who had just kissed him so passionately, the girl who he had just declared his love to, not through words, but through actions, the same one who wanted to go with him to the Xahon villages, the same one who remembered that he wanted a Twister figurine; determined to save that beautiful soul, Akuji charged fiercely and accurately at the growling wolves. The predator had become prey, the hunter had become victim. The natural born killer was about to be killed.

He hacked and slashed and swung at the wolf, hitting and wounding it every single time. The beast had no chance in this one, not against this kind of determination, of iron will. Once it lay, brutally slain, Akuji turned his sight on the last remaining brute. It was a few feet from Missa and would soon be tearing and taking bites out of her. He had to kill it and most importantly, he needed to make haste. Simple, fast and hard. Just as it reached Missa's fallen body, steel was there to preserve the sacred skin. The wolf only managed to cut open a wound in her chest, before Akuji fell on it, all his weight put on this single strike, cutting open through its back bone, almost cutting through its chest and effectively killing it. Its blood oozed from the huge cut on its back and covered both Amissa and Akuji in its thick blood.

Once it was over, Akuji fell on his knees besides Missa. He stabbed his sword into the ground and rested for a while. Adrenalin was circulating his blood in tremendous amounts. His heart pumped crazy to the point where he felt like it might stop pumping from exhaustion, his breathing was heavy and irregular, and he could not keep his hands from shaking erratically. He was fine, they both were. Amissa was breathing naturally and her wound wasn't at all problematic or deep. It would be a pain to sit in front of their disappointed parents and try to explain what happened, just to be grounded for months.

Once his body had calmed down a bit and he controlled the shaking in his hands, he took the time to see he had several cuts in his arms, a big bruise on the side of his chest, which he saw because his shirt had been torn, and a small cut on his left thigh. His right shoulder hurt from falling into the ground after charging at one of the wolves, and he had a piercing head ache. All that was meaningless to him, what really mattered was that he had defended the girl lying besides him, and that she was all right.

Other than that, and the fact that he was stained with blood all over, he was fine. Pushing the wolf's carcass aside he took a deep breath of air and laid himself besides Amissa and kissed her lightly on the forehead; then he laid besides her, one arm over her unconscious body, protecting her and fell asleep. Up above the full moon illuminated the clearing with a peaceful dim light, and night owls gazed at the ending scene.


	3. Ch3 Thy Kingdom Comes

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter Three: Their Kingdom Comes

**Note:**_ In the Xahon dialect the' X' is a 'Ch', so 'Xahon' is pronounced 'Chahon' with a silent 'h'._

Amissa opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She rested on a soft feather bed, surrounded by smooth cloths and pillows, all accordingly feathery and puffy. All the walls surrounding her were made from elegantly engraved wood, filled with ornaments, and carved pictures of animals, mostly exotic birds that lived in the area. The wooden furniture was equally stylish and pleasing to the eye in a mix of style and spirit that gave her soul a tranquil sensation. Soothing and relaxing sensations came from the room in which the tones of wood and décor mixed in a supernatural way.

When she got out of bed her feet landed on the softest and thickest of carpets. Xahons use a special weaving technique that gives them thick fluffy carpets, a Xahon tradition and specialty. Even when she walked on the wooden floor and stroke the furniture they felt as smooth and silky as the most luxurious marble floors. Everything felt like out of a dream, everything was crafted to perfection.

The view through the windows of the room showed the marvelous forest outside, and the majesty of the Xahon village. Light poured in through the trees and gave the scene a ghastly feeling.

Below the village the forest lays full of flora and fauna. A few birds flew around the trees, and animals ran around in between the vegetation. The sun was already high in the sky, it was almost noon when she opened the door and gazed at its brightness.

The Xahon villages are alive and cheerful all day through, at night illuminated by magical torches, and during the day, the villages thrive with activity. From sewing and weaving, to carving wood and picking fruits from the Xahon trees that surround them. The Xahon trees are well known for their delicious and abundant fruits, the high quality wood, their rapid growth and amazing size. From early ages, the growth of the Xahon tribes has been linked to the long living tree. Some speculate that Xahon's who live in such harmony with nature are descendants of Elves.

And not without evidence, for the Xahon's were known to be fierce warriors, and their ears where slightly longer than that of men. It is a strong contrast to their peacefulness and contact with nature; but only a fool would underestimate the Xahons in battle.

Once Amissa walked outside she noticed that her room was part of the largest house she could spot among the many bridges and tree houses. There were several other rooms like hers and a middle larger one. A small sign explained the cause. "Mayor's House" it said in plain English, but below it was written in Xahon, "Xieves Hut" which she didn't understand at all because of the quirky way in which Xahon's wrote.

Talking a last look of the village before walking through the door and outside she spotted Akuji standing on an elevated terrace. Seeing Kuji made her remind herself of last night's events. Amissa eagerly made her way towards Akuji; she wanted to be besides him at a time like this. It was an almost straight path to where Akuji was; she was amazed by how organized the village was. She was especially surprised at how easy it was to travel from one place to another, as she had half expected the villages to be a maze of pathways.

She walked over to Kuji and stood besides him. He looked at her, directly into her eyes. His eyes were peaceful and caring, but his look had the deepness of a seasoned warrior. He had several small cuts on his cheek and his arms where bruised and cut too. She pressed herself onto him and held Akuji tightly between her arms, in comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have…"

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Akuji was either hypnotized by the sight of the forest, or avoiding the conversation.

He surprised her with his response. After what happened last night, he couldn't have forgotten. "But you can't…"

"I know, I know. But we are all right, there's no reason to… Besides, we should enjoy our time here. Back home our parents will surely ground us. Don't you think? We should have fun."

"But Akuji, are you hurt?"

"Look at me; it doesn't matter. You are okay, and I'm okay. Besides, the Xahons covered our wounds with a medicinal ointment."

"Not physically, Kuji. I mean, are you angry?"

"No. I'm not," Akuji said softly, "There is no reason to be angry if I can be with you."

He had a good point. "It really is beautiful…" They both sat on a nearby bench and in silence contemplated the beauty that surrounded them. The scenery was calm and beautiful, contrasting its danger when the sun faded. After a long and peaceful silence Amissa spoke up, "Akuji, I love you."

"I know," he said softly, he kissed her lightly and said, "I love you too." The day was beautiful. Last night had been dreadful, and the scars from it still remained; scars heal, however.

Akuji explained to Amissa that the Xahon's had picked them up, and carried them to the room Amissa had been sleeping on. After the short explanation, they fell into an alternate dimension; gazing at each other's eyes in silence, in love with their lover's gaze.

"Do you want to go for a walk? The forest is safe during the day."

"Sure."

Amissa had not seen the Xahon's clearly because she had not had time to notice when she was looking for Akuji. The first thing she noticed was their beauty; it seemed that they imposed an air of magnificence. Their ears where slightly pointed, just like she had read in books and heard at class. Xahon's really did look a lot like Elves.

They slowly made their way around the multiple bridges and walkways and found a the way downstairs into the forest. Once there, they found a private place behind a fallen tree, and sat in each other's company.

"Akuji," he gently replied with a muffled sound, "Do you have any gold?"

"I think, why?" Akuji began looking into his pocket for his leather pouch.

"Well, I was thinking we should buy a Xahon carpet. I've heard they are the best in the whole of Albion."

"Ok, let's take a look around then." Akuji got up and helped Amissa to her feet. They both swept the dirt off their clothes and made their way up back into town.

They took a quick stroll around town and opted to stop at a small tavern unoriginally named 'The Xahon Tavern'. It was located below the main level and went around the whole tree. The tavern was well kept and modern looking. Everything was sleek, shiny, curvy and carved out of wood.

They sat on a small table on a corner close to the door. A waitress came up to them and asked them what they would like. They were starving after missing breakfast and lunch in their sleep. Akuji ordered a steak and pink water, a famous drink for its slight sweet flavor and made from the leaves of a small bush. Amissa got a chicken salad and rosemary potatoes.

After paying their late afternoon lunch, Akuji and Amissa looked around the village to buy a carpet, but before they were able to buy a carpet a broad man interrupted them.

"Excuse me; my name is Rogan san Pyre I've been sent by the chief. He wants a word with you."

The man stood way over six feet tall, well over Akuji, who at seventeen was only five feet and nine inches tall. Rogan wore a sleeveless shirt which showed his many tattoos and muscular arms. Head shaved bald and long pointed ears; eyes red and kind. Most of his facial features where sharp and mature looking. "The both of us?" Akuji responded.

"No, he wants a word with you. If you want she can wait outside, or in the room we provided for you."

Amissa spoke up, "You go ahead, and I'll take a look around and buy the carpet meanwhile." Rogan seemed surprised when Amissa spoke up so freely. Akuji got the slight impression that Xahon women didn't have as much freedom and women all over Albion.

"Are you sure?" Akuji turned over to Amissa, ignoring Rogan.

"Yes I'm sure, can you give me your gold?" Akuji took out his small leather pouch that rattled with gold coins and handed it over to Amissa. She kissed him in the cheek and walked away. "See you later."

"Well, shall you follow me?" Akuji responded to Rogan and he turned around and began walking. They talked as Rogan led Akuji to the chief. "So, what's your name?"

"Akuji Tuiien."

Rogan turned slightly to face Akuji as they walked, "Did you fight the wolves?"

"Yes."

"You know, I still can't believe it. But I guess the proof is there," he motioned Akuji's scar with his finger across his face, "It's real tough to fight the wolves around here, so I guess I should congratulate you."

"Thanks. I have trained with it a lot, but there's not much I can do on my own."

"It is impressive nonetheless. Anyway, don't thank me; thank Mel, the village chief. He's impressed that a young lad like you could beat those wolves. He's giving you a Xahon Heart for it. I guess he's just a little mad because his son, a little older than you I think, and is trying to punish him." Akuji interrupted him to say he was seventeen. "The chief's son is eighteen and a dangerous warrior, but Mel is disappointed because his son isn't attracted to women, if you get what I mean. I think its ok, I love women, but I guess it is really up to each one of us to like what we like."

"I guess that's true." They had come upon a large building that said outside 'Mayor's House' and then something else in another dialect. "This is it, right?"

"Yes, walk inside; I'm sure he's waiting for you." Rogan watched Akuji knock, and walk inside before wondering what he would for the time being.

* * *

Akuji walked over to the door and knocked on its smooth surface. From inside a man yelled "Come in!" and Akuji opened the door. The man sat behind a wooden desk with nothing but a few ornaments on it. It was an impressive view, everything was amazing. The floor full of carpets, the smooth wooden walls, clear glass windows with ornamented wood frames; chairs, furniture, sculptures and tables all of gracefully carved wood. Just like the tavern it was a clear example of Xahon wood carving at its finest.

"Ahh. Welcome," the chief stood up and walked over to Akuji to greet him, "I trust you are the boy who was attacked by the wolves. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Mel Tarruene."

"It's a pleasure too sir, Akuji Tuiien."

"Let's sit over here; the chairs over there by the desk aren't as comfortable as these sofas over here. Besides, the desk is just for show, I don't really need it. It's just a matter of impressions, I'm supposed to be a mayor and mayors need desks and paperwork and order and laws. Over here things are different from Kingswood or Bowerstone so it doesn't really apply here." Mel waited before they were both sitting before continuing with the conversation. "Where are you from?"

"Knothole Glade."

"Oh, so I trust you're here with your girlfriend for the weekend, without consent from your parents?" Mel was a sharp guy, and he got it right.

"I guess you're right. But we didn't…"

"No need for excuses, I ran away from home once too. But it wasn't for vacation. Anyway, it's really brave of you to venture through the forests alone, and you showed real bravery and ability by fighting the wolves."

"It was just self defense sir, I'm certainly no hero."

"Oh, but you don't need to be a hero to be courageous and brave and selfless. Only if you do great things you'll be called a hero. But most of the time great heroes do bad things too. The most selfless and humble men out there are those who help for nothing in return, just a simple 'I love you' or leaving behind thankful souls. Most of the time, the real heroes are forgotten under the shadow of more, shall we say, arrogant men."

"Maybe that's true."

"Let's not stick to philosophical questions and trivial matters and get to the point." He took out a necklace with a silver heart. "Do you know what this is?"

"A Xahon Heart."

"Right you are! Well put it on!" Akuji took the necklace and slid it through his head. "Well, it's a loose fit but I think it won't slip."

"Thanks. It means a lot." Akuji felt as if the conversation had turned into a monologue, Mel talked like a parrot.

"So that's it." Mel got up and walked over to his desk. He picked up a bag and turned over to Akuji, "Well, I'm sorry, but it's getting a little late and I have to be at a meeting with other village chiefs. If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way. I'll see you tomorrow morning if you are still here. Sorry, for having to leave, but tomorrow maybe you can dine with us if you like."

"That would be nice. Bye, sir." Mel said something about Akuji being able to stay in his room for as long as he wanted and that if he didn't catch Akuji again he was welcome in town anytime. Akuji walked over to the window and sat there looking outside for a long while. He eyed the Xahon Heart more closely, and felt into a deep hypnotized state. He wondered how his mother felt, and his father. They could be thinking anything by now. He had just disappeared, and he knew they would worry like hell for him. He felt bad; and that was soon an understatement.

After a series of screams startled him and made him shake off his feeling of guilt, Akuji made his way to the door to see what was happening. It suddenly burst open and a man stood there inspecting the room. "Who are you? Where's the chief?"

"I'm Akuji, he left for a meeting, and he said he was meeting with other chiefs. What is going on outside?" Akuji was more interested in the outside world where the screams were multiplying both in quantity and in sharpness.

"I don't know. We are being attacked; the guards posted on the other side of town have already begun fighting seconds ago. All who are left are here with me." Akuji could recognize Rogan from the bunch of soldiers.

"Excuse me, Terrell, we should go join the fight, it doesn't look so good. The boy can come with us, I'm sure he'll put a hell of a fight." Rogan looked at Akuji for a brief second.

"He's still young Rogan. Are you sure he can fight?"

"Positive."

Terrell turned to face Akuji and spoke to him. "Can you fight?" Akuji nodded and tried to look secure. "Well, I need you to break through the enemy and run through the forest. Just run down the stairs and then run like hell. You'll make your way to a nearby town. There you'll find my father, tell him to come with reinforcements, immediately!"

"Yes, I will. I need to go get my sword, though."

"Go get it!" Terrell turned around and yelled, "Everyone, fight like Xahons, fight like gods, and make our enemy suffer, for he has attacked us out of no reason or punishment. We have never given anyone reason to hate us. We shall respond in kind! Charge!" With those words, the group of twenty men and young Terrell ran towards their enemy.

The village had been set ablaze, fire was spreading everywhere and the screams had increased. Once they caught sight of their enemy, even through the gruesome truth and the disgusting smell they flinched for less than a second before proceeding to exterminate their foes.

Undead were attacking the village. Rotten, putrid bodies of men, women and animals were fighting against the Xahons. And the Xahons had responded in kind. It wasn't a fair contest. There were far more undead than Xahons, but the Xahons held their position bravely and brutally massacred their foe.

* * *

Akuji had ran like lighting to get his weapons. As he approached the Xahon line Terrell screamed, "Make a path! Make a path through the enemy lines! Coming through!" With obedience, the Xahons cleared the way swiftly and with relative ease and then moved out of the way. Akuji ran through with his sword held up ready. A few monsters swung at him, but he gracefully blocked the attacks. All the while screaming at Rogan, "Rogan! Please make sure Amissa is safe! Watch out for her!" Akuji ran and never looked back, when his feet touched ground he did as he was ordered. He ran even faster. He didn't know what was motivating him to bring in the reinforcements, he just knew he had to for an important reason he couldn't remember, his mind was clouded from exhaustion.

For over ten minutes he kept running, hard, without rest. Sprinting across the forest wasn't easy; his only four second rest was when he tripped, only to get up and run once more. The twigs and leaves cut his arms and face as he ran past them. The rain began to hold him back as it fell hard on the forest, slowing him down. Trying to stop him from reaching his goal.

* * *

Back in the village the rain was revered as a holy sign. The same rain that made Akuji's path more difficult made fighting the undead easier. And the rain also extinguished the fire that was threatening to bring down the whole village structure. Terrell and his men had been fighting for ten minutes now. He was tired, he knew it. But he wasn't going to stop. He had been hit with a wooden staff on the ribs and a sword had opened a big cut on his arm. He kept on fighting through the pain, like a true warrior.

With the rain the undead fell in masses. Terrell swung his sword around cutting arms, heads, legs and even through chests in clean swift movements. Even hitting a shield or a blade would break off the undead creature's arm. The stench was horrible. Some of the undead hadn't even begun to decay and blood spilled when their limbs where cut off. It looked as if they had been turned to the living dead right after they died.

Right besides Terrell, Rogan was slaying through enemy ranks in similar fashion. He too was drenched in blood and decayed tissue. He too smelled the horrible reek and he too endured the gruesome view of disfigured faces and exposed rotten organs which spilled their contents all over the Xahon warriors.

* * *

Amissa was right at the end of the stairway leading into town when the living dead arrived. She was picking a carpet to buy when the gate was broken and the undead appeared. Nervous and scared she ran away looking for somewhere to hide. Everyone had panicked, everyone except the few guards, of whom there where no more than forty in the whole village.

As she ran away from them a roaring pain consumed her. In extreme hurting she looked at her chest. An arrow had pierced her body, it had entered through her lower back and the tip was fully visible on her belly. Blood emanated from it and stained her khaki clothes.

The excruciating sting that overtook her made her loose consciousness for a few seconds. She fell and landed flat on her front. The arrow snapped inside of her and twisted around causing her even more pain which woke her up. She felt like she couldn't continue, the pain was just too big for her. She would lie there for the living dead to feast on her body. With a hasty motion that caused her even more pain, the broken arrow inside of her kept moving and cutting her insides, a man picked her and carried her to the familiar inn, where she was put on a comfy sofa to rest on her side. A familiar voice spoke, "You're safe now, stay here, a medic will come see you."

All she could think of was Akuji. Where could he be? Was he alright? Was her dear Kuji in any kind of danger?

A young black man approached her shortly after she was left on the sofa. "Hi, my name is Wesley Rella, how are you feeling? Does it hurt?"

"Like hell," she responded with difficulty.

"Ok. I'm going to remove the arrow now, ok." Wesley took the arrow from the back end and slowly began to remove it. "This should hurt… Maybe not, did the arrow break?" Amissa nodded. "Well, it'll be easier to remove, but I can only do so much about the internal damage it should have caused." Once the arrow was completely out of Amissa's body Wesley stood and talked to her again. "Well, I'll be right back with some medicaments to make you feel and heal better."

* * *

Akuji was exhausted, his legs burned and his heart had stopped beating at a calm rate more than a half hour ago. Sprinting across the forest for almost half an hour was extremely exhausting. But he was focused and dead set on achieving his goal.

It all paid off when he finally spotted the Xahon village where Mel was meeting with the other chiefs. He kept on running until he made it up the stairs. A guard came up to him to see what was wrong.

"Hey, boy! What's wrong? What got you running in such a hurry?" The guard made a face when he saw Akuji's multiple cuts.

Akuji had no time to see or take notice of anyone. "Where are the chiefs? Where is Mel Tarruene? I need to see him, now!"

"Oh, right this way!" The guard led him to a small stairway that led to a terrace under the main plaza.

The ten Xahon chiefs were sitting on a round table and discussing important matters. Mel was sitting there with them and was the first to notice Akuji. He raised his voice to interrupt the meeting and made everyone take notice of the tired bloody boy. "What's wrong, Akuji?"

Another village chief raised his voice, "You know him?" He sounded disgusted by Akuji's appearance.

"Yes, he is the boy I talked to you about." The man acknowledged it and turned to look at Akuji. He looked into his eyes as if expecting something. "So, Akuji… Why are you here and why are you cut all over?"

In between his panting, Akuji managed to warn them. "It's the undead. The have attacked the village. Terrell sent me here to look for you. They need reinforcements."

Another chief spoke up, "Are you sure, boy? Undead, here? It is outrageous!"

"Yes, I saw them with my own two eyes."

"This is an outrage. Surely, you don't believe him."

Mel spoke up in Akuji's defense. "I do believe him, just as Kauri and Waldorv." The only female chief and a broad man besides Mel spoke in affirmation, probably because Mel had left them in a position where they could not say no. "Where are they coming from, Akuji?"

Yet another chief spoke up, "Mel, surely he has no clue. I doubt anyone in the villages have a clue about this. I suggest each one of us go back to our village and evacuate everyone to the caves. I have a bad feeling on this one. The right move is to protect ourselves inside the ruins. If what he says is true."

"I approve," yelled the broad man besides Mel. Another spoke up to say it was too rash and there was no evidence to support such a bold move. "It might be wrong, but it's the safest move we have. If the undead have appeared in this island we need to unite in a defendable place. It's the only way to survive."

After a short discussion, the ten chiefs agreed to fall back to the ancient cave fortress. Akuji, Mel and ten guards immediately left for the village. After only ten minutes rest, Akuji was back in the forest ground, running at full speed.

* * *

Terrell had taken a bath in blood. All over he was stained red. It was normal to end up dirty and smelly after fighting undead creatures, but to end up bloody, it was disgusting. It meant something. These undead creatures had been killed just to be transformed into undead. And there were so many of them. At last after an hour of fighting, the last dozen remained. But none of the Xahon warriors had the strength to keep on fighting. Rogan had been hit in the neck with a blunt weapon and laid unconscious, two men had been killed, and three had retreated due to serious injury.

These last dozen were ironically the most dangerous ones, for the undead are tireless, and the last ones come with such vigor that they usually destroy their tired enemies. Undead creatures were driven by dark mysterious force. They chase and chase until their prey is done for. And the rain had stopped, so the undead were now fully strong.

Just as Terrell swung his sword at a living dead human, but it was faster than him and blocked the attack. He fell to the ground tired and unable to continue. Several warriors rushed to his aid and pulled him out of harm's way.

Just at that happened, Mel and Akuji began running up the stairs to face the last remaining undead. Side by side, they both cut through the few remaining monsters with ease, using the element of surprise to their advantage.

Once the last living dead had fallen, Akuji fell on his knees. He fell forward and dozed off. Mel picked up Akuji and carried him. The remaining warriors picked up the injured men and led Mel to the tavern where all the survivors where hiding. As they entered, Mel noticed that there where about a hundred survivors plus the twenty warriors who had been fighting the undead.

Rogan had already woken up and walked over to Mel, "There are ninety seven survivors from the attack. Plus, we have twenty one able men, capable of fighting."

"Good. We need to move, fast. We can't fight an enemy we can't understand. All the villages are retreating to the ruins."

"The Suboun Ruins?"

"Yes. Where's Terrell?"

"I'll go look for him."

Mel stood analyzing the situation. They needed to understand their enemy. They needed to be aware of their enemy's motives and goals and where they were coming from. Most importantly, they needed to find out who was behind the undead, because the undead never attacked with such commitment unless driven by someone. Just then Terrell and Rogan interrupted his thoughts.

"Terrell," Mel hugged his son. "You did good defending our village, I can see that. I'm proud of you." Although he had washed up a bit, Terrell was still stained with blood. "But I need you too do something for me. We need to act fast, no slacking off. Go and tell everyone to get ready to leave. Signal the warriors to be alert, we could be attacked again. Everyone should pack food, clothes, and weapons. We leave in an hour. I want to reach the ruins before nightfall." Terrell acknowledged what his father said. His orders weren't at all clear, but it was a time to be creative and to step up. They had no time to lose making things clear and questioning everything. He immediately began giving orders to everyone. Mel turned to Rogan and Akuji, who had been resting against the wall a few meters in front of Mel. "Akuji, come over here." Akuji, who had just woken up, got on his feet and approached Mel.

"Rogan, Akuji. I have a special request for you two. We need to find out what is happening out there. I need you to use the Cullis gate and go to the guild. There contact the guild master and tell him everything that has happened. You should leave after resting. Get any weapons or supplies you need. I'll be getting everyone ready with Terrell."

Rogan was the only one to respond, Akuji made a nod to indicate he had heard and was willing. He could have said no, but Akuji had nothing else to loose. And on the way they could stop by Knothole Glade to see if everyone was alright. He had always wanted a chance to prove himself, and there was nothing in his way now.

He spotted Amissa calmly breathing on a wooden bench not far away as he cleaned himself rid of blood and rotten flesh. Akuji approached her and stroked her hair tenderly before leaving.


	4. Ch4 Holy Father, deliver us from Evil

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter Four: Holy Father, Deliver us from Evil

Akuji and Rogan had already left behind the Xahon village and were making their way to the Cullis gate. They were not running, as their bodies were tired from the fight earlier; but they walked as fast as their legs would carry them.

"Do you mind if we stop by Knothole Glade for a bit?"

"No, not at all. We'll take the gate to Knothole and then well teleport to the guild if you want. We must hurry though. There are important matters at hand."

"Ok. I understand."

They walked in silence all the way to the gate. Upon arrival Rogan noticed something was wrong. "Isn't it supposed to glow?"

"Yes, why?" Akuji looked up and saw the Cullis stone. He ran up to it, and saw it wasn't working. "How strange. It doesn't appear to be working!"

"I see. What should we do? Try it once more." Akuji tried as hard as he could, but nothing happened. "We may need to walk."

"I don't know, but we can't cross Witchwood. Not today, we would have to travel it by night."

"We can't wait here. The undead might reappear. Everyone from the village will be fine in the ruins, I can guarantee you that. I think we need to cross Witchwood and see what has been going on over there. Maybe they can help. We'll be fine."

"I hope you are right." Deep down, Akuji feared traveling through the forest at night. Too many creatures could attack them. "Let's go, we are wasting valuable time."

They kept a fast pace for over two hours before getting somewhere. After two hours of long boring walk, they really didn't have much too talk about, about a hundred meters away, Akuji spotted sea, and the Witchwood Stones.

"After that we'll officially be in Witchwood. Keep your guard up. Hopefully the Witchwood Cullis gate is working."

"I plan to. Anything can be hiding in the bushes. I don't think it will, I have the feeling." Being realistic, Akuji felt that if one of the Cullis gates did not work, neither would the rest.

"One hour till nightfall, let's hurry! We should at least get past the falls before nightfall; it's about three miles away." Three miles, not that far; the forest however was muddy and slopped, making the way harder and more demanding.

When they reached the coast Rogan stopped for a second to look at the horizon. "Look! Smoke is rising from the horizon!"

Akuji looked at it; thick dark smoke was rising in the horizon and said, "Do you think they got Hook Coast too?" It could only mean that; what else was to the north of Witchwood?

"It certainly looks like it. This is not good."

"I think we should hurry. Better not stop to discuss unimportant things. What's important is that we find out what's happening."

"You are right."

They quickened their pace even more. Witchwood made them shiver and jump at any sudden motion. It wasn't that Witchwood was as dark as Darkwood. It was that Witchwood was infested with balverines, wolves and trolls. Some of the deadliest creatures on the face of Albion lived there.

"Rogan, don't you ever think that Darkwood may be overrated? I think Witchwood is even more dangerous than Darkwood." The conversation they would undertake for the time being wasn't reassuring but at least it was realistic; and that did not necessarily help their morale.

Rogan though about it for a few seconds and replied, "It might be true. But Darkwood is really scary. Most stories are false though. I went there once. Everything was dark, the sky was cloudy, it was creepy as hell, but I never saw any creature. I'd say this is far more dangerous. The only creatures you can see in large quantities over there are Hobbes; and stupid brutes they are."

"I agree…" The sound of a barking wolf made them stop dead in their tracks.

"Run!"

Rogan and Akuji sprinted full speed across the forest. A few wolves began chasing them. "Akuji! When I saw turn, turn and face the wolves. Try and land a hit at them while they run past! They will be running strait at you. Just time, dodge and strike!" Akuji thought it over quickly and readied his sword. It seemed very straightforward, dodge the brutes and sink his steel weapon on them. "Turn!"

Akuji stopped in his tracks; he skidded a bit on the earthy surface and faced the wolves. Four wolves were charging at them, they were already extremely close to them. He did as told and waited for the opportune moment to dodge the wolf. He swung his sword with might as he turned around and caught the wolf on its side. It tumbled and then rolled to its death. Blood poured out of its wounds and stained the ground.

Rogan had done the same. There were now only two wolves to take care off. Rogan stored his bloody sword and took his bow and two arrows. Quickly, he landed one arrow on each wolf. Akuji hit the wounded wolves and opened big cuts on their skin from which blood poured like water in a spring. It was over in the blink of an eye.

"We have to move. Clean your weapons and leave anything with blood on it. It will attract Balverines." Akuji did so, and had to leave the leather vest he had picked up as armor before setting out. "Ok. Move, let's run."

They ran fast for a few minutes and then resumed a slower pace. Rogan wanted to avoid the Balverines, and so did Akuji; but neither wanted to overly exhaust their bodies.

A short while after their encounter with the wolves, the sun began to set and Witchwood began looking scarier and scarier with every passing every second. Akuji kept a fast pace besides Rogan, who was just as scared as him, but seemed to brave it and kept it cool. Almost reassuring Akuji and making him feel more secure about the situation at hand.

Rogan was the perfect example of a Xahon warrior. Selfless, ready, courageous and able.

With the last rays of sun, a sound behind them made them turn, look, turn again and run like cowards. Only they had a good reason to run; a really good reason to do so. "Undead! Run, Akuji!" A really large number of undead creatures had been gaining up on them. Outnumbered and tired, Akuji and Rogan had no choice but to outrun them.

Rogan ran at full speed and was leaving Akuji behind. "Slow down!" Akuji looked back and saw that some of the undead, four gruesome creatures running on four legs, were catching up with them. "Rogan look. They are catching up!"

Rogan looked back and saw the wolf like monsters that were chasing them. "What the fuck is that?" Rogan began running even faster and was thinking on his feet for a plan. "Akuji, run fast. You can do it. We have to gain as much distance as we can from the slow ones to fight these fast ones! Whatever the fuck they are!"

Akuji ran as fast as he could. He urged his tired body to run faster and faster. He urged his sore body to give more and more, but he was wearing out. All day long he had been fighting and running; wound over wounds over healed wound had stacked over his body, and he felt their toll. As his muscles contracted and relaxed he felt them heavier and heavier; his body seemed to quit on him. Only from sheer will did Akuji keep running.

He found himself catching up with Rogan; he dared look back a bit which slowed him down a bit. The night was well illuminated with a full moon and clear skies. "Rogan. They are near, too near; we should turn and face them!"

"Ok, turn!"

They stopped and faced the oncoming undead wolves. "Same tactics, Akuji!" Akuji was waiting for the creatures to come after him. After all, undead were brutish and mindless monsters. When they were fifteen meters from Akuji, the wolves stopped and began circling them. They lost their footing and seemed unwilling to stop; there seemed to be something controlling them, something keeping them from charging blindly into battle.

"What the…!" Something was really wrong. They weren't supposed to behave like that. Akuji noticed that their bodies had not yet decayed, and showed cuts and wounds he recognized. It was disgusting to watch; intestines and organs spilling over the wounds Akuji and Rogan had inflicted on them moments ago. "Rogan, these are the wolves we killed earlier!"

"Are you sure?" Rogan was busy planning a way to kill them. Akuji told him to look at their cuts and wounds. "It's them! This is getting weird. Let's do something they don't expect. Charge at them and try to cut off their heads or limbs! They may live, but without limbs they are harmless."

Akuji and Rogan stood back to back looking at the circling wolves, and at the most opportune moment, they charged at them.

The wolves reacted accordingly and dodged them. Akuji turned and looked at Rogan, he too had missed. The wolves were now moving in small circles and looking at them. They appeared to be studying their every move; their eyes were white and shone like the stars above. It looked paranormal, imposing; their gaze seemed to pierce into Akuji's mind.

"Concentrate, Akuji, charge once more!" Akuji did as he was told and ran past them. The wolf dodged him once more. Rogan managed to hit one wolf inflicting a mortal wound for any regular beast, but the undead wolf just got back up ready to fight.

"Rogan, we can't beat them! These wolves are supernatural! There is something driving them to kill us!"

"We have to. We can't outrun them!" Rogan was right. They couldn't outrun them. They were tired and sore, they had to defeat them and keep a quick pace to avoid the other undead. It made him remember Amissa and their encounter with wolves. Tears fell down his cheeks at the thought and his resolve grew greater.

Akuji breathed heavily, and tried to think of a way of killing them. Without telling Rogan, or waiting for his orders, he charged at the wolves. The wolf dodged him, just like the other two times, but this time Akuji stopped in his tracks and thrust his blade at it. It sank deep through its neck. Blood spilled from the cut and stained Akuji's shirt. He violently pulled out his sword, and saw the wolf stumble to the ground; it did not fall dead, however.

"Watch out!" Akuji jumped forward when Rogan yelled. The wolf that had jumped at him barely missed Akuji. He got up and looked around for the wolves. He checked in his mind their positions and turned to face the one he thought he killed. It was getting up, still alive and possibly dangerous.

Akuji took no chances and proceeded to finish the wolf. He stomped on it, which made it fall, and then Akuji drove his sword strait through its head and pulled up. The wolf kept moving and struggling with him, unnaturally, and with tremendous force. Before he could attempt to kill it once more, this time by cutting off its head; a wolf rammed him to the floor. The wolf sunk his claws on Akuji's right arm, and tried fiercely to bite Akuji once they fell to the ground. A rock on the floor got Akuji's chest and left a large bruise, and possibly a broken bone.

Akuji fought him off with his sword, but couldn't control it. Rogan was there just in time to decapitate it. Its head fell on Akuji, and the fountain of blood literarily bathed him. When Akuji got up he was red all over, his hair was thick with it; his face painted red, his eyes blinded and his mouth tasting its repulsive flavor.

"One down, three to go." The one with a large hole through its head was still up and dangerous. Akuji kept on fighting, he had no choice, but his body wouldn't resist for long. His muscles ached; his bruise pierced him with pain every time he moved. He couldn't keep fighting, but he did it anyway. He looked for power inside himself. He looked expecting to find a reserves tank where he stores energy for emergencies. There was no such thing. He did find something to help him.

His thought went over to Amissa, his love burned strongly in him.

Akuji found an inner strength in him. He sensed a power that had hidden from him. A force that could help him defeat the wolves. He felt the power to control the elements. He felt hot blazing fire flowing through him, a cool icy breeze, the oceans, thunder. Using his will to harness the elements, almost instinctively; he tried with all his might to engulf the wolves in fire, to shock them with lightning, to freeze them in place. Through his body he felt the heat and the cold, a great power.

Finally a sense of energy leaving him hit him, and almost instantly, he felt a great heat traveling through his body. Out if his hands, fireballs went out in all directions hitting the wolves and setting them on fire. In the process, several trees and bushes caught fire.

In the fire light, Akuji and Rogan watched, both amazed, as the wolves silently barked not in agony, for they felt nothing, but in anger and burned to ashes. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know." Akuji shrugged.

"No time to discuss it, let's go, the fire is spreading!"

Akuji looked back at the way they had come; the undead were catching up with them. "Hurry! They are catching up with us!"

"Can't you burn them?"

"I don't think so. I'm feeling really tired after burning the wolves. Let's just run."

They set off at a fast pace trying to lose the horde of undead behind them. Yet, it was difficult because Akuji's body pained him with every step he took. After a short time, Akuji felt a hand brush against him. He looked at it and was horrified, "Rogan, they caught up with us!"

"No, they are coming from all directions. These are not the same. Keep moving; slay everything in your path!"

Akuji followed Rogan and broke through line after line of undead. They were literally everywhere, the forest was infested of them. Akuji thrust his sword at one, cut another in half, kicked another one, the next he decapitated, then he cut of one leg of the next undead, and he kept on. They were endless. The stench was unbearable.

"Rogan, we won't win. They just keep coming, one after another!"

"Well, we have to move. Besides we are lost! Do you have any idea of where we are?"

"No! We are doomed!"

"Keep fighting." A cloud moved over the moon shortly after, and all visibility was lost. "What now?"

"I guess we should keep swinging and moving. Nothing else to do!" Akuji followed his own advice, but found it hard to do. He constantly hit trees and crashed into them, their branches hit and cut him as he marched through them. He wondered briefly how he must have looked. Horrible, with cut upon cut, and bruises and ragged clothes. He couldn't see any undead, they seemed to be able to see in the dark, because the undead kept hitting him.

After a long period of darkness, the moon reappeared on the skies and illuminated the forest once more. Akuji kept fighting, and just when he felt he could no more, they got a lucky break. A thunder storm started, and the undead wave seemed to have ended. Akuji looked around and he couldn't see Rogan.

"Rogan! Where are you?"

Rogan yelled from several dozen meters away. "Here!" They both made their way towards the other's voice and found each other. "We can't stop. I am tired too, but we have to keep moving. At the very least we have to walk."

"Ok. Let's rest for a bit first."

"We should move."

"Let's rest for a bit, please." Rogan agreed. Akuji kneeled down to rest, Rogan stayed upright. Akuji felt worn-out and aching, he had felt that way for a long time now. He needed strength to carry on. He needed strength to bear the aching wounds on his back. He needed to believe that he would be able to reach safety. "_Holy Father, deliver us from evil_. _Rid us of all temptation_. _Let us by guided by your light, Father_. _For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory_. _And thy grace shall be the beacon_. _That guides us through these dark times._" He finished his prayer and stood up. Far more than the prayer; imagining Amissa in his mind drove him further. "We can go now."

"Ok. Walk with a fast pace."

They set out through the dark forest guided by the moon's illumination, hoping to reach somewhere safe, hoping against all odds to find their way through the forest, praying to arrive safe into the hands of friendly faces, longing for the beacon that would guide them through the dark night.


	5. Ch5 Thy Grace shall be the Beacon

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter Five: Thy Grace Shall be the Beacon

"There, Rogan, the path!" Akuji had spotted the main road through the forest.

"Let's follow it, that way, westward." Rogan was looking at the skies.

"How do you know that is west?"

"The stars, it's really helpful to be able to locate the cardinal points from the stars. I'll show you one day." Rogan gave Akuji a few pointers on the subject as they walked down the road before there was silence between them again.

They walked and walked, scared at every shadow, scared at every sound. Every tree that swayed from the breeze, every rustling leaf was a potential threat. Every shadow was danger lurking in the dark.

They had been walking, running and fighting for almost twelve hours strait. If a balverine or undead attacked them, their bodies wouldn't stand it. They would collapse and fall easy prey to the creatures of Witchwood.

"Akuji, up ahead!" Rogan stopped in his tracks, looking in disbelief at the road ahead. Finally they were gazing upon civilization; and safety. Through the forest Rogan had seen a bright light that flickered through the swaying trees.

"What?" Akuji looked up almost startled that there would be undead, "What do you think it is?" he said as he saw the light in the distance.

"The Temple of Avo, it's the Temple! We can sleep there for the night." The sound of a raging balverine made them turn around. "Run! We can make it to the temple, just follow the light!" The balverine was a good distance from them, but it was clearly chasing the smell of blood they carried.

Akuji's body was worn out and aching. Blood covered him all over, his and from his enemies; several bruises made moving his body painful and uncomfortable. He knew he would feel the pain for a couple of days, but it was his life on the line. Demanding his body to push itself to new limits; Akuji sprinted towards the temple. As they approached the temple, he and Rogan began screaming. "Help! Open the door! Open the door!"

"Ahhh! Open! Please open the door!" They kept running like crazy, it was that or being eaten by a balverine. The door wasn't opening. "Ahhh! The door!" Rogan was a few meters past Akuji, and the balverine was just behind. As they approached the temple, Rogan readied his grip on his sword.

He stopped by the door and turned to face the oncoming balverine, it was clear that the door would not open in time. The balverine came at startling speed surprising both of them, "Akuji, duck!" Akuji and Rogan both jumped away from the balverine as it crashed into the thick wooden door of the temple; wood cracked and twisted, but the door did not budge. They got to their feet and quickly hacked and slashed the surprised balverine into a pool of blood.

Akuji was breathing heavily, "Well… That's that… Now we need to get into the temple."

"Yeah. Hey! Open the door!"

From inside, an old man yelled, "Coming! What's this entire racket for?" He opened the door and was surprised by Rogan and Akuji, who where covered in mud, blood, water and sweat. The old man briefly wondered if Akuji and Rogan had been through hell and back.

Akuji panted and tended to his wounds as Rogan talked with the priest. "Good evening. May we come in?"

"Sure. It's been tough times lately. Were you attacked by undead?"

"Yes, we came all the way from Xahon. We have been through hell." Rogan answered the man's question with that last remark.

"Well, you can rest here all you want. How have you handled everything back there?"

"We are falling back to the old ruins."

Akuji, who had remained silent, interrupted the conversation, "What news have you heard from Knothole?"

"They were attacked. Just like the Arena and us, but we haven't heard from anywhere else in Albion, the Cullis Gates are not working. We heard they are doing all right; the town is fortified after all. Let's go inside, it's chilly out here. You two need rest and first aids; I'm surprised you are still standing." It was an impressive view, two men standing in ragged clothes, covered in blood and standing besides a mutilated balverine.

Inside, the priest led them to a cozy room warmed by a chimney. A few traders were sleeping on mattresses; they probably had taken shelter in the temple. One of them woke up as they entered the room and gasped at Akuji's appearance; then he made a face of shock again when he saw Rogan.

Across the room, through an open door, Akuji could see a couple of guards sleeping on the floor. The priest told them to wait there so he could get them a new set of clothes, and another thing that Akuji did not catch.

Rogan began untying his thick leather armor, when he finished he took it off and hung it on his shoulder. Akuji got close to the fire to feel its warmth; he felt it just like he had back in the woods. Akuji felt the energy in him, the power. He lifted his hand, feeling the excruciating ache of his muscles and bones, and moved it into the fire.

Rogan had been watching. "Wow. How do you do that?"

"I have no idea." Akuji pulled out his hand and played with a little fireball. He sent it swirling across the room before extinguishing it. "Cool…"

"Yeah…"

Right then the priest arrived with new clothing, "Well, this is what I could find. I hope it serves you well. Both of you are probably tired and aching, come closer. I shall heal your wounds." Akuji and Rogan did as instructed. When they were near enough, the priest raised his hands, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Akuji felt a cool relaxing sensation and renewed energies. When the priest was done, Akuji felt his wounds with his hands. They had scarred. His muscles did not ache that badly; but the ache was still there. From then on, until the next day at least, the priest seemed to look pale and fragile.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome. Here take your clothes and this potion, it will do you good. I am Oned VaKlaren; if you need anything just ask for me." The priest handed each a vial, and a small bag full of clothing.

"My name is Rogan san Pyre, and this is Akuji Tuiien. Thanks for all your help; we will call you if we need anything."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Your rooms are just down those stairs to the left, each one of you can take a room if you want. Keep walking downstairs and you'll find the showers. Good night." Oned turned and walked away, probably to resume sleeping himself.

"Good night."

Akuji and Rogan quietly walked down the stairs, left and into their respective rooms. The room was lighted by soft flickering candles and a small oil lamp. The light from inside the rooms lightly illuminated the hallway through small gaps in the wooden doors. Walking into his room, Akuji dropped his bloody sword into a corner, along with his ragged clothes. In his underwear, he walked downstairs to the bathroom.

One large candle lighted the showers, and gave it a ghastly feeling. Approaching one of the cubicles, Akuji inspected it. There was a large soap above, and two buckets of cold chilly water. Cold water was exactly that, cold and well, cold. Akuji preferred showering with at least moderately warm water. Thinking about his new powers; Akuji used them to heat the water to a near boil. Every second he kept the fire burning, he felt energy draining out of him.

Rogan entered the room while Akuji was heating his water, "Watch out, kid. Doing that drains you out. Over exhort yourself and it can be deadly." Akuji took Rogan's advice and stopped it for the night.

As he showered Akuji felt that his muscles and scars had healed with the priests spell. It still felt sore to move them, but they didn't cause him any pain. His multiple cuts had scarred, and they did not pain him either. It took a while, but Akuji finally managed to clean himself thoroughly. He took a fresh towel, and dried himself; then, wrapped in the wet towel, he made his way back up to his room.

Akuji locked the door to his room and dropped the towel on a wooden chair. Rummaging through the bag the priest had given him he noticed the vial and decided to get over it. The potion was surprisingly delicious; with a funny aftertaste, but tasty nonetheless. Leaving the empty vial on a wooden desk, Akuji inspected the clothes he had been given.

The clothes made Akuji wonder if they had once belonged to a warrior his size. A padded leather armor; with shin guards, arm pads and a chest piece. The leather looked old and worn, yet it was better than nothing. Along with it, he found a long sleeved shirt that appeared to go under the leather armor as it would fit him very tightly. To go over the armor, there were white pants and a shirt; they looked a lot like a martial artist's clothing.

Jumping into bed, Akuji concentrated on the candles and the fire above them. With his mind he extinguished them and, after turning down the oil lamp next to his bed manually, he was consumed in darkness; and in the dark his mind retraced his last few days.

His thoughts lead him to someone who he had not thought of for quite a while, Amissa. It had not been than long, but having traveled through hell certainly made it feel that way. The last time he had seen her was before leaving the Xahon villages, she had been unconscious then. Had they made it safely to the caves, or had they been ambushed by undead? From the abundance of undead in Witchwood, it seemed really reasonable to think they had been attacked by undead on their way to the caves.

His thoughts led him back to when he first met her.

He was almost eleven back then. A new restaurant had opened in Knothole; Amissa's father was the owner. One afternoon, two days after it had opened, he went there with his friends Dru, Farrell and Coy. Amissa was working with her father in the restaurant that day. She brought them their drinks. Later, when all his friends returned home, Akuji stayed on the park, sitting on the tallest tower as he watched the sunset. Even now he remembered how he always wished he was older so he could stay up after dark. Going back home, he met Amissa again and she asked him what his name was and where he lived. He told her. Her father called her from her house saying that it was getting dark and she ran to her house.

It was nothing special. It was nothing like love at first sight. They became great friends as the years went by. It was not until about six months ago that he first felt attracted by her.

He was sick for a couple of days and being it summer, all his friends were busy playing outside. Coy and Dru both stopped by a couple of times to see how he was, and to invite him to play. Farrell did so three times. Amissa went to see him everyday, sometimes even two times a day. He didn't like his friends any less for not going to see him, he would have been playing and having fun just like them, but he liked Amissa more for visiting him.

He wondered how Amissa was, and felt guilt for not being with her. He didn't know why he told Mel that he would go with Rogan. He had just followed orders ever since the undead attacked and Terrell sent him looking for Mel at a nearby town. It felt as if he had been born for war, he never felt nervous or cowardly in face of his enemies. And this new power, his ability to control fire, puzzled and amazed him.

He began to drift with his thoughts and fell in a deep sleep.

* * *

The next day he woke up sweaty. He felt as if he had dreamt the most dreadful thing, but he couldn't remember it. Visions and images of it came to him, but after Akuji spent a short while trying to remember his dream, and it led him nowhere he dropped it. He got out of bed and went looking for Oned and Rogan.

Outside it appeared to be already past noon, his thoughts confirmed when he saw the sun high in the sky. He found Rogan having lunch with a few other men who finished their meal a short while after he arrived. They excused themselves and left Rogan and Akuji alone.

Akuji looked at the table full of food and took a little out of everything. A saucy steak, a little bit of smashed potatoes, buttered bread, and yellow rice. The meal wasn't horribly good, but feeling a raging hunger like Akuji felt then anything would be delicious. Rogan and Akuji talked in between mouthfuls. "Have you seen Oned?"

"I talked to him this morning. He is around somewhere. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I feel like I should be hurting all over. I guess the potion did work." Akuji thought about it, and he noticed that his wounds, although they had not gone away, did not sting him. "You look horrible."

Rogan was just as scarred as Akuji, "So do you."

The finished their meal in silence and then Rogan spoke up. "Do you want to visit Knothole? It's a short walk from here."

"Yes, I know."

"Get your things then, I'll go tell Oned." Akuji got up from the table and went to the room Oned had given him. He packed his bloody sword; the blood had dried onto it as he had forgotten to clean it. Taking the leather armor, he dressed himself in it. The armor was a loose fit. Outside he waited a short while before Rogan joined him.

As they were arriving on Knothole Glade, Akuji noticed smoke rising from the forest. "Rogan, look!"

"What the…?"

Akuji began running towards his town. The smoke appeared to be rising from Knothole, and as Akuji neared the town he could see flames on the rooftops and trees of Knothole Glade. He didn't stop running until he was at the entrance of town. The gate, along with large segments of its fortifications, had been knocked over so he walked over it into town.

Rogan was just behind him. He looked at all the destruction. Houses burned, walls had been broken, there were dead bodies of undead and villagers, the scene was disturbing. "Come on Akuji. Let's go. There's nothing for you here."

"No, I want to take a look around."

"I don't think you will find anything but sorrow and grief here."

"There might be survivors. Let's take a look around." Akuji and Rogan began walking down the main road of Knothole. A short while down the road Rogan spotted a suspicious man walking their way. Akuji whispered to Rogan, "Look, up ahead."

"Hide, I'll ask him what happened."

"Be careful, I've never seen him before." Akuji quickly hid inside a wrecked house, entering through a hole on the wall. Inside he had a good view of Rogan and the man.

The suspicious man was wearing plate mail armor all over his body. His hair and his eyes were dark colored. When Akuji looked at the man, he felt a chill rising up his spine. The man spoke calmly and in a peaceful tone. "Good morning."

"Good day. Do you know what happened here?" They stopped at about fifteen feet from each other.

The man began walking around Rogan, his voice calm and peaceful. "Don't you know? We were attacked by undead."

"We… You don't look like you are from these regions. You don't look human at all."

"I don't like what you are implying of me." He stopped to think what he would respond to Rogan. "We are all attacked by them. They don't follow anyone, they are mindless beasts."

"What did you do?" Rogan's tone was hostile and accusatory.

"I unleashed them into the world. I saw them destroy the whole of Albion. I killed them when their job was done. The undead are dead now, just for now. Soon, more will rise and cause pain and suffering across Albion. And when that happens I will take over Albion."

"You can't. Albion's armies will crush the undead."

"You are a Xahon. Am I right?"

"Yes." Rogan was raging with anger, and Akuji inside his hiding place was already feeling hatred towards the man.

"I'm glad to tell you that the puny resistance mounted by your stupid leaders has been dealt with. Yes, your stupid backwater tribes are no more." The man's tone was now sarcastic and hostile, just like Rogan's.

"You will pay for that!"

"Do not overestimate your abilities. It would be fool to fight me. Enough blood has been spilled, these undead are uncontrollable and have caused far more destruction than I foresaw. Don't be next, there doesn't need to be anymore death on this day."

"You will pay!" Rogan was not listening.

"Do not be foolish. You will be defeated, and afterwards I will kill you."

"Enough talk. Enough barking, let's see if the dog really bites."

Rogan unsheathed his sword and charged at the man. The man effortlessly parried Rogan's attack and moved out of the way. He then closed on Rogan swinging his sword at Rogan several times. Rogan blocked one after the other until he found an opportunity to strike.

Rogan's sword hit the man's plate mail and inflicted no damage on him. The armor and the blades caused sparks to fly, and the armor ended up scratched, but that was it. He in turn hit Rogan's blade so hard Rogan lost it. The man walked back and let Rogan pick up the blade. "Are you ready for round two? This time you will die. But if you want you can live. Just walk away and forget you ever saw this."

"Arrogant piece of shit!"

Rogan charged. The man stayed calm and raised his unarmed hand; he waited until Rogan was really close before sending him flying. Rogan flew back almost two dozen feet; his sword flew out of his hands and landed even farther back. The man jumped, almost unnaturally at Rogan, landing right next to him.

The man held his sword lightly pressed against Rogan's beck. "Rise, on your knees." Rogan did as ordered, and when he had the man decapitated him in one clean motion. Blood sprinkled from his neck and stained everything.

Akuji couldn't stand and watch, so he showed himself to the man. Akuji stopped a few dozen feet from the man and watched him in anger.

The man was surprised. "You too kid? Surely you're smarter than that."

"I can't stand and see you get away with all this."

"Kid, I've trained my whole life to get to this moment. I have prepared my mind and body for millennia for this. You aren't even twenty years old. Walk away. I have a feeling that we will meet again."

"No. I will fight you today, and I will kill you on this very soil."

"You were born here right? Had your family here? I'm sorry; this wasn't to happen, but the undead run around on their own. I didn't foresee this. I already spared many lives; don't be foolish, I will spare your life if you make the right choice." Akuji wondered what the man meant when he said that he did not want the undead to destroy Albion; why did the man unleash them then.

"What do I care? I got nothing to live for now!"

"Train so you can one day defeat me. Live to fight another day. You don't stand a chance right now." The man was arrogant, but there was a sense of dignity in him. He seemed to like challenges, not easy fights.

"Face me. I dare you."

"I won't strike you first, but I will hit back, hard. Before we start, what's your name?"

"Akuji." He said it with anger and rage in his voice.

"I'm Dante." Dante responded calmly. For ten long seconds they stood in silence, then Dante said defiantly, "Make your choice."


	6. Ch6 Pathways

**Fable**

Chapter Six: Pathways

**Note:**_ This chapter is short but kick-ass._

"I have already chosen." Akuji withdrew his sword and stood ready to attack Dante.

"I am waiting." Dante unsheathed his sword and knife, preparing for Akuji's imminent strike.

Wasting no time Akuji sprinted at Dante with his sword held high. Dante sheathed his knife and with that same hand formed a fireball. He sent it flying at Akuji before he had even made a few steps towards Dante. Akuji instinctively raised his left hand as he ran and deflected Dante's fireball.

"What…" Akuji was already swinging his blade at him when he raised his sword to parry the attack. The unexpected strike pushed him off balance and left him vulnerable to Akuji's blade, which struck directly at Dante's armor, crushing the plate mail beneath it. As he fell backwards, Dante raised his hand and sent Akuji flying into the air.

The young boy was sent flying as Dante fell on the gravel road. Akuji instinctively stopped himself and remained floating in mid air. He was just as shocked as Dante. Akuji wouldn't have believed what he was doing. His powers were just like those of Jack of Blades or Milozevik. Akuji felt the rush of thunder through him and just as he had done with fire and flying channeled it towards Dante.

Dante, who was getting up, was hit by the lightning. He yelled in pain as electricity zapped his body. Once more, Dante fell on the ground. But this time, instead of getting up he zoomed towards Akuji hitting him hard on the chest. Akuji was sent flying even higher into the air. The blow left Akuji gasping for air; once he lost his concentration, Akuji was not able to remain floating in mid air. "You messed with the wrong man Akuji!" Lighting struck Akuji at Dante's will as he fell from the sky.

The excruciating pain that Akuji felt distracted him and he was unable to stop before crashing through the roof of the large inn. All while being electrocuted Akuji broke through the four floors of the inn and landed with a hard thud on the stone floor of the basement. Akuji opened his eyes and saw above him the hole he had made on the way in. All his body was smoking from the electric current that Dante channeled into his body. Suddenly the floors above him caught fire. Almost immediately, the inn had turned into a burning inferno. Akuji didn't need to think it twice before flying out of the inn the way he had gone in. He almost didn't feel the heat as he flew through the flames.

Dante had been ready for him and almost got Akuji in the chest with his sword. Akuji dodged him and flew for his sword. He picked it up from the ground and looked back at Dante, who was charging at him at incredible speeds. Akuji positioned himself ready to parry Dante.

The blow was so strong that Akuji lost control of his blade, but at least he successfully dodged Dante once more. Clearly Dante did not expect Akuji to fight so bravely.

"Good. How are you holding up Akuji?"

Akuji regained his balance and faced Dante. He stared into his eyes and didn't say a word.

"Ok. Let's have a duel. No armor, no mana. Just you, me, our swords and hands." Akuji was breathless and having trouble getting it back so Dante walked over to Akuji's sword and picked it up. He inspected it, "Nice sword. Nothing fancy," the sword was really plain, it had no decorative engraving or handle, "but I can see it gets the job done." He walked towards Akuji as he spoke. "Who made it?"

"I did." Akuji managed to speak in between heavy breaths.

"Nice job." Dante was just two feet away from Akuji, "Here, take it." He handed the sword to Akuji and stepped back four feet. As Akuji wielded the sword he felt his back ache him, probably from crashing into a house. "The duel ends if one looses the blade, or falls over. Of course, it also ends if one of us dies." He spoke as he took off his plate mail and tossed it aside. Dante walked forward and struck Akuji, who parried and countered. It went on for a short while, parrying and countering, dodge and counter, swing, block, strike, charge, parry, counter. "Good. You have an excellent basic technique but your sword is not your only weapon." Dante parried Akuji's attack, faked with his sword, and kicked Akuji in the chest.

Akuji staggered backward before regaining his balance and reincorporating himself into the fight. He lunged at Dante, who took a quick sidestep and deflected Akuji's blade creating an opening on Akuji's defenses so he could land a punch at his chest. The boy once again staggered backward, but this time he tripped and fell unto the gravel road. He knew he had lost the duel, but he would not lose any second to get an advantage on Dante.

Akuji channeled at Dante a quick succession of fireballs and watched as he effortlessly blocked them. "You lost the duel. Get up and like a man ask for a rematch or another kind of contest. Don't be so low as to take advantage of a moment like this one."

"In a war, only those who are ready survive." As he spoke, he spat blood.

"That is true. It is also true however, that even at war, real men always place honor above all else. Die with honor, and defeat with honor."

"What about Rogan? You killed him when he was on his knees!" Akuji's mouth tasted like iron, and his chest was sore from Dante's punch.

"I stated my terms as clear as the sky above us. I told him before we fought that I would defeat him and then kill him. Our duel had different means and end."

"You say you are an honorable man, yet you unleash destruction on innocent men and women!" Akuji was screaming at Dante, angered by his hypocritical ways.

"One does what one must. I want power. Am I to blame that everyone else is weak and defenseless?"

"No. You are to blame that you take advantage of that."

"Survival of the fittest, my young boy." Dante could feel the anger that cooked inside Akuji. "Enough talk. Let's fight once more, this time with everything we've got." Just as he said it, fireballs were sent flying at Akuji. He did his best managed to defect them, one after the other, but they just kept coming.

Behind him, the fireballs hit houses and trees and lit the whole town on fire. There had been small fires when he arrived, but now huge fires were spreading all across the town and surrounding forest.

Akuji felt as he deflected each fireball the toll it took on his body. It felt as if life was being slowly sucked out of his soul.

After an endless attack on Akuji, Dante stopped. Akuji fell on his knees and breathed heavily. He felt weak. Dante, still standing strong, spoke up, "You feel it, don't you? As darkness clouds your soul every time you use mana. One can do great things with it, but if you don't watch yourself it can take your life. Go too far and there's no coming back." Dante walked over to Akuji and softly pushed him back.

Akuji fell backwards into the rocky road. "You need practice, Akuji. Train yourself. Do resistance trainings so you can channel more and more mana." Dante stopped in his steps and faced Akuji directly, something he had not been doing. "Your life, Akuji, is at a breaking point. You can now make only too choices; both involve leaving this island and heading inland. Do not ignore destiny; few men ever control mana as you have today; and most that do, do great things. You can do so through the now active Cullis Gates. Walk up to the Cullis Gate and say 'Heroes Guild'. You will be taken there and receive training in what's left of the old guild. With their training, you will be able to seriously face me. Or, if you choose the other path, you can join me. Walk up to the gate and say 'Eis'. I will wait for you there for ten minutes. If you don't come in that time span, don't even bother." He walked over to Akuji and pulled him up. "Get up. Come one, get up. Now Akuji, we both know there is nothing for you here. So take one of the paths I have presented you with." Akuji felt the same strange feeling of energy rushing into him as he did when the priest healed him. "That should serve you for the time being."

Akuji was just barely standing and managed to barely say, "Amissa…"

"Wha… Oh, the girl… She was screaming your name... Just take the portal. Train yourself Akuji, trust me. The only way you can be who you want to be is if you take the portal, Akuji. Now do it. I'll leave you here and you take the Cullis Gate. You make your choice. I have already made mine, now it's your turn. Do you help me rule the world, or do you bring me down?" Dante spoke with an almost fatherly tone; yet there was no hint of love, or compassion in his words.

He vanished into thin air and Akuji laying on his back, in deep thought. He could see that training with Dante would make him very powerful. It brought a strange feeling, the same feeling he got when he was flying and electrocuting Dante. Dante was an arrogant man, but he seemed to care for Akuji, and that struck him as weird. He could not really care for him; Dante only cared about what Akuji would be able to accomplish. Perhaps he feared him; perhaps they both feared each other.

* * *

Akuji woke up lying in the rough gravel road. The sky above him was already dark and the sun was setting on the horizon. He remembered the events that had led him there and concluded that he must have fainted after Dante left. Getting upright Akuji noticed the destruction that had been brough upon Knothole Glade. He also noticed another thing, every muscle in his body ached and pained him with every motion.

Breathing felt heavy, as if his chest had collapsed inwards. A sharp head ache clouded his vision and thinking. Akuji began walking towards the Cullis gate. To him, it seemed as if he embarked on an epic journey; only that his goal was barely thirty feet away.

He stepped into the round Cullis gate and felt its energy flowing around him. "Heroes Guild".


	7. Ch7 The Heroes Guild

**Fable: Wrath**

Chapter Seven: The Heroes Guild

Akuji materialized at the Cullis gate right in front of the guild. Being so near the towering Beor Mountains, made the day even shorter than it was at Knothole Glade. When back home it had been sunset, here on the Heroes Guild night had already began.

In the pitch black, Akuji saw the majesty of the Guild; its many windows flickering with light, and multiple towers raising high in the air. Right beside him, two towers rose into the air on either side of the path, and a thick wall was erected between each tower and the Guild's main building, making anyone who walked into the Guild take the path in between the two towers.

On either side of the path were two guards, they were standing on the edge of the lamp light. Akuji was sure they were not able to see him because he was engulfed in darkness as he stepped out of the Cullis gate's soft glow.

Akuji faced the Guild and began walking towards it in long painful strides. All his muscles and bones still ached him, and he himself felt weak.

One of the guards saw him and yelled, startled, "By the love of… A survivor!" He hurried to his side, and helped Akuji walk into the light of the lamps. "There, kid. Lay down." The guard turned and faced the other, "Do you reckon he is a student?"

"He must be. Let's take him to the infirmary." The guards looked back into the tower and yelled. "Larry!"

Shortly after, another man appeared through the door and stood there waiting for orders. "Larry, take our place, we have to take this kid to the infirmary." The guard turned back to Akuji and said, "Here, drink this."

Akuji drank it. The two guards picked him up, and as they carried him down the small hill into the Guild he dozed off.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akuji opened his eyes slightly, still feeling a bit drugged, two men where standing discussing. One of them, probably the medic, or something similar, had a long white robe. The other looked like he had just been taken from a battlefield.

"Have you seen him before?"

"No. Never. He is not a student of ours."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." The two men talking stood in silence besides a white bed where Akuji laid in between its covers. "Who found him?"

"Two of the guards from the main gate found him; they said he just walked up to them, limping and breathing heavily. They gave him a…"

The man in armor caught Akuji's eye and interrupted the other man, "He's awake." He approached Akuji, and as he did, Akuji felt a tingling sensation crawling up his mind. Instinctively, Akuji closed himself to the feeling and felt it wither out of his mind. The man's face turned into a state of shocked disbelief. The facial expression quickly faded away, replaced by a stern face.

"Good morning." The man had probably rehearsed what he would say, "My name is Norak Rolle."

Akuji heeded the indirect question and spoke up, "I am Akuji Tuiien, son of Rohm from Knothole Glade." Akuji spat the words coarsely, but serenely.

"Well met, Akuji. You have taken quite a beating, from what I have heard. Did you run into undead in Knothole?"

"Yeah. The undead have struck everywhere, Albion is in chaos."

The man stared in disbelief at Akuji. Then, all of a sudden Akuji felt the tingling sensation crawl into his mind again. This time, Akuji pushed it back with force. Norak flinched as Akuji did so. "Where you…?" Akuji understood what had been happening almost immediately; along with it images of Norak shooting arrows raced his mind.

"Sorry. I did not mean harm; I was only trying to…" Norak turned to the medic, "Could you leave us alone, please?" The medic trailed off the room and closed the door behind him. "I wanted to check for the validity of this information you are giving." Silence. "Where did you learn to block off mental assaults?"

"I… I don't know. I just did it for the first time in my life."

"Really?" Akuji nodded and raised a hand, in which he lit a small fire.

"I learned to do this too, on my own."

"Very interesting. Do you mind if I read your mind?"

"Yes, I don't like the sensation. I can tell you everything I know, though."

"Please do so."

Akuji started his tale from when he had been visiting the Xahon villages and the undead attacked. He avoided bringing up Amissa, because it brought him pain. He told Norak of how the Xahons had retreated, and he and Rogan had left. Of their encounter with the wolves and their fight afterward with the dead wolves, and Akuji's first time using magic. He told him of their stay at the church, and as he concluded his telling of everything, Akuji avoided mentioning that he had fought Dante. Instead he said that Dante left after he killed Rogan.

"I must talk about all this with the Guild Master immediately." Norak stood silently for a short second. "Akuji, is this all true?"

"Yes, it is." Akuji responded sternly, almost insulted that Norak did not believe him.

"Very well, if you say so I believe you. Your injuries do confirm your story after all. Please remain here, Father Elda will come shortly and give you more medications and spells for you to heal. You should stay in bed at least for one more night." Norak closed the door behind him and left Akuji alone in the infirmary room. Akuji would be alone for the rest of the day and night, except for the occasional short visits of Father Elda.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His that night dreams where a haze of images and people and events and places and thoughts and conversations from which Akuji could not pick up one cohesive dream. Instead, he remembered fragments of multiple dreams.

In his first dream Akuji was standing on a vast plain, with lush grass and flowers. A strong gust picked up thousands of flowers into the air in swirling motions all over Akuji. Visibility was small through the flowers of multiple colors. A big flash of white and Akuji found himself in darkness.

Another dream pictured Akuji seeing him self fighting a balverine, and getting eaten by it. More images came into his mind: Akuji kissing Amissa, Amissa getting shot by an arrow, a flaming arrow travel through the night, a bloody balverine, a burning house, his mother, a strong elf fighting in the Arena, Akuji standing in the middle of the Arena with a trophy in his hand, his old school teacher, Rogan, the Guild, the sunset and sunrise, an empty darkness, a bloody sword, hungry wolverines, a burning corpse, thunder, fire; the images where so mixed and cramped together that Akuji had trouble reminding most of them. What struck Akuji the most was that he seemed to have had a million different dreams through the night.

As Akuji woke up, most of his dreams flashed through his memory, and were forgotten. Yet, Akuji was sweating heavily and tired from his dreams. A sharp pain pierced his mind, accompanied by the similar feeling of an unknown presence leaving his mind. As it slithered away, Akuji heard, "Listen. Listen, Nevan." The voice trailed off, "Listen…"

Shaking the feeling off, Akuji got up and walked towards the door. His wounds felt healed, but his body sore and weak; his mind was in a similar state of refusing to react and think. Moving did not pain him, though. That was the least of his worries though.

As Akuji walked through the room, he noticed that he was drenched, almost as if he had jumped into a lake with his clothes on. On the stone floor below him, Akuji left a trail of sweat as his walked. Looking back he noticed that the bed was also dripping wet.

Outside, Akuji found Father Elda walking down a hallway that appeared to be the infirmary. There were several doors along it, at one end a large room in which several bodies lay asleep on white beds and at the other end, a large oak door.

"Oh, hello, Akuji. How did you… Did you take a shower?" Father Elda could not hide his surprise.

"No. I had a nightmare."

Father Elda's expression showed a glint of fear before he responded, "You should talk about this to a Grounds Master, Akuji. For now, I can get you a fresh set of clothes, and some potions to help you calm down."

"That would be nice." Akuji followed Father Elda to a door which, when opened, revealed another hallway, this one smaller. On both sides there were two openings, men's side and women's side. One opening on each wall led to the restroom, and the other to the showers. Before the hallway, there was a small room with wooden benches and lockers. The walls, like in the rest of the infirmary, were built from gray stone.

Akuji waited in the little room for a while. After a minute or so, Father Elda arrived with a set of clothes for Akuji, a towel, and two potion vials.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dressed in the Guild's uniform, Akuji walked outside into a balcony that overlooked the training grounds. Students shot arrows into targets. On the other side of the river, which cut the grounds before Akuji in two, students ran, jogged, jumped and climbed through a course similar to the one Akuji was used to in Knothole.

He would spend weekends with Dru, Farrell and Coy running through the obstacle course. Amissa would sit and watch them run all day.

It was all gone now. Tears fell down Akuji's cheeks.

Farther down the horizon, Akuji saw a large lake, and at the end, another large building, similar to the one Akuji found himself in. On both sides of the lake a dense forest grew, and behind the lake and the castle at its end Akuji could see the towering Beor Mountains.

"Akuji, I was looking for you." It was Norak, before turning around, Akuji wiped his face. "I talked to the Guild Master. He is busy at the moment; it seems that your information is accurate. He would like to talk to you, but there is no time. Instead, he wishes that you train yourself here in the Guild."

Akuji remained silent. He just didn't know what to say.

"So, do you want to?"

"Yes. That's why I'm here."

"I see. Well, you have natural talent, but we have to test you before you are admitted. Then I or another Grounds Master will tell you how everything runs in the Guild."

"Ok. When do you start?"

"Follow me."

Norak lead Akuji across the grounds. They walked down a stairway from the balcony, through a small garden, then beside the Archery Range, moving towards a smaller building Akuji had not noticed before. They crossed a bridge to the other side of the river, and walked to a building besides the docks. Norak explained that those where the Apprentice's Quarters, and behind was a small Combat Circle where they tested trainees.

"Today, the other Grounds Masters are testing several graduating students; normally the Test Grounds would be closed except for the graduating apprentices, but the Guild Master approved that you could be tested today."

Akuji liked the sound of it. He didn't like to show off that much, but making the test in front of others, especially if he did well, would impress everyone.

As they walked into the patio where the Test Grounds were located, a man looked at them and spoke up, "Norak, what brings you here?"

"This young man," Norak pointed at Akuji, "is to be tested."

"Orders?"

"Yeah, from Djavan."

"Ok, sit him over there. We are almost finished with archery; he can be tested while the others watch."

Not long afterwards the Grounds Master that had spoken earlier told Akuji to step into the circle. "Good morning, my name is Rahul Espósito. You are here to be tested for admission, right?" Clearly, the other Grounds Masters had not heard Akuji's tale, yet.

"Yes."

"Ok." Then the interrogation began. "What's your name?"

"Akuji Tuiien."

"Where are you from, Akuji?"

"Knothole." This all seemed pointless to Akuji.

"What do you do like to do with your free time, Akuji?"

After a short silence, Akuji spoke up, "What is the point of all this?"

"It is just a test. You are right; nothing of this has anything to do with fighting, which is what you are here for, right?"

"Yes. I am here because I want to be trained."

"Ok. So, what can you tell us about yourself?"

Akuji gave the question a thought and answered, "I would like to be trained by the Heroes Guild."

A few of the graduating apprentices laughed at Akuji's remark. The Guild Master, Rahul, dropped his interrogations, and began telling Akuji about the test. "First, there is a physical exam. Push-ups, crunches, a little sprinting, jumping, and other drills."

Right then Norak spoke up, interrupting Rahul. "Of course, we will be easy on you, considering what you have gone through in the past few days." Rahul gave Norak a look, and Norak stared back with an I'll tell you later look.

Rahul had Akuji do sets of ten push ups. The first set was easy. The second time around wasn't that hard. Getting to thirty posed a challenge. Forty was in no ways easy. "Forty five, forty six…" Akuji's arms where burning, and though his injuries did not hurt, he still felt as if his muscles where weak and tired. Akuji managed to do sixty seven push-ups. Next came abs crunches in many different styles. Rahul guided Akuji through the exercises, since Akuji was not familiar with them. He had to do regular sit ups, then he would lay face up and hold his feet, out stretched in the air.

After other tiring exercises like jumping jacks, and parachutes, and stretching, Akuji began, as ordered, to jog around the Combat Circle. At regular intervals he would have to sprint for one lap around the circle.

"Tired? Good. You did well, so there is no need to worry. Next up, we would want to test your mental stamina."

For another hour, Rahul had Akuji hold stones in the air, and float, or conjure fireballs. Akuji also parried with a few graduates, and with a Grounds Master. Everyone was impressed with Akuji's abilities. They would, be far more impressed when it was time to test Akuji's mental dexterity.

"I will fight you for this last test. Use your wits to incapacitate me. Remember, this is not a fight to kill or hurt."

Akuji did not really understand the true nature of his power, so he decided to play defensively. At first, it was a breeze. As the seconds ticked on, Akuji realized that he would not hold for the whole ten minutes the test lasted. Reaching with his mind, Akuji slowly crawled his way into Rahul's mind. Rahul was busy with trying to hit Akuji with stones and he did not expect such an attack from Akuji, so his defenses where down. Akuji managed just fine concentrating on dodging the stones while he continued his way into Rahul's mind.

Rahul's mind was open to attack; Akuji did not feel any barriers, or forces preventing him in. Taking his chances, Akuji trusted himself into the depths of Rahul's mind. Just then, Rahul noticed Akuji's presence and his attacks with stoned ceased. Akuji felt a small force pushing him away. Rahul's thoughts dazed off, and Akuji was only able to grasp emotions and basic feelings and thoughts. Fear, confusion and shock were strong in Rahul's mind.

Feeling what seemed to be issuing orders in Rahul's mind, Akuji inched closer to it. Suddenly, Rahul's defense dropped, and he seemed to remain calm. Akuji opened his eyes; he had closed them when Rahul stopped shooting pebbles at him. Rahul was standing, looking retarded, and doing nothing. 'Sit', Akuji thought. Rahul obeyed.

'Lay down in the grass.' Rahul obeyed. The other Ground Masters were in disbelief at what they were seeing. After seeing their faces, Akuji decided to let go of Rahul. It wasn't easy. That sort of power, over a person, felt good, and was hard to let go of.

Immediately, Norak stood up and spoke, "That was impressive. Akuji, would you please follow me?" The other Grounds Masters, a long with Rahul were in disbelief.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akuji waited in what he was told was the Guild Master's tower for hours before anything happened. Rahul had brought him there and told him to wait for the Guild Master. During those hours, Akuji had time to think over what he had done, and why the Ground Masters had been so shocked. Akuji arrived at the conclusion that such a display of power over another being, especially someone so trained was extremely rare.

When the Guild Master arrived, Akuji was busy counting the amount of books in the numerous books shelves of the Guild Master's office.

The Guild Master materialized in the middle of the office and looked at Akuji, who was sitting in a comfortable leather chair. "Hello, Akuji. I am the Guild Master, Djavan Dal'ma. I have heard amazing things about you from Norak and the other Ground Masters. I think it is time that you and I have a chat."

Akuji stood up and shook hands with Djavan. "It's an honor to meet you…"

"You may call me Djavan. Now, take a seat, I suspect our conversation may be long." Djavan took a seat behind his large wooden desk and watched Akuji sit back down in the leather chair. "Would you like something to eat, or drink while we talk?"

"I could use a glass of water, please." The Guild Master closed his eyes for a short while.

"The servants will arrive with water and some snacks shortly. Now, let us begin our conversation. I have heard your story, but I would wish to hear it from you."


End file.
